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" Sheridan Smith has signed up to play Cilla Black in a new drama for ITV. The three-part series from Philomena writer Jeff Pope, will focus on the singer-turned-presenter&amp;#039;s rocky rise to fame in 1960s Liverpool.   The drama will follow the unknown Priscilla White - Black&amp;#039;s real name - as she pursues her dreams of stardom, embarks on a relationship with future husband Bobby Willis, and meets legendary manager Brian Epstein.  The series will also tell the story of Black&amp;#039;s friendship with The Beatles, and how their success and links to industry bosses helped to shape her career. Smith - who won a BAFTA Television Award for her role in Mrs Biggs last year - will reunite with the programme&amp;#039;s executive producer Pope and director Paul Whittington for the project. Describing Black&amp;#039;s story as &amp;quot;fascinating&amp;quot;, Smith said: &amp;quot;So thrilled to be back at ITV for such an exciting project and to hopefully show a younger audience what a star Cilla has always been and for the older generation they can re-live those swinging 60s! What an era!   &amp;quot;I can&amp;#039;t wait to get up to Liverpool (my favourite city) and start filming. I&amp;#039;m really honoured and just hope I do her story justice.&amp;quot; ITV&amp;#039;s Director of Drama Steve November added: &amp;quot;Jeff&amp;#039;s scripts offer an extraordinary insight into Cilla&amp;#039;s humble beginnings and meteoric rise to chart success. &amp;quot;He captures Liverpool life back in the 60s through her eyes and it&amp;#039;s fascinating to thinking of her hanging out backstage at the Cavern Club with The Beatles.&amp;quot; Cilla will begin filming next month in Liverpool, and aims to feature many of the City&amp;#039;s famous landmarks. Further casting details will be announced at a later date. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a551555/sheridan-smith-to-star-as-cilla-black-in-new-itv-drama/>